13 Exotic Hotels For The Trip Of A Lifetime

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/fodors-hotel-awards-exotic-hideaways-2013-9

Fodor's just released its 2013 Hotel Awards, which honor hotels in a variety of categories.

The travel guide's senior editorial team selects winning hotels from more than 4,000 nominations sent by contributors around the world.

The 13 resorts recognized as top Exotic Hideaways — defined as "destination hotels for a trip of a lifetime" — provide unparalleled service in incredible settings, giving their guests an unforgettable experience.

From Caribbean cliff-top dwellings to a lodge that puts a spin on the safari experience, this year's list offers a huge variety of options for travelers willing to splurge on their next luxurious getaway. 

Aman Sveti Stefan

Location: Budva, Montenegro 

This island complex is essentially its own medieval village. Nestled within defensive walls from the 15th century, its 50 rooms, suites, and cottages — some of which served as a summer residence for Montenegrins in the 1930s — are perfect for those looking for an escape back in time.

Spas, private pools, and a fine pebble beach sweeten the deal.

Photo: Amani Sveti Stefan

Ayana Resort and Spa

Location: Jimbaran, Bali 

This cliff-top resort in the island's upscale Jimbaran Bay offers unforgettable views and a traditional Balinese experience. Rooms are decorated with local textiles and handicrafts, and the indoor/outdoor accommodations mirror those found in traditional homes. 

With an award-winning spa, private beach, Kids Club, several swimming pools, and seven restaurants to choose from, you may never have to leave the property.

Photo: Ayana Resort and Spa

Casa San Agustin

Location: Cartagena, Colombia 

Situated smack-dab in the middle of Cartagena's UNESCO-protected Old Town, this hotel is an ideal home base for exploring the white-washed, flower-filled streets for which the town is known. 

Each of the 31 rooms has its own layout and view, some with private gardens or pools and others with exposed wooden beams, frescoes, and other original architectural details. 

Photo: Josh Gibson

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Read More...

Summary only...

This Camera Array Lets You Tweak the Shot Angle In Post-Production

Source: http://gizmodo.com/this-camera-array-lets-you-tweak-the-shot-angle-in-post-1410528487

In the same way the Lytro camera allows photographers to tweak the focus of their shots in post-production, this multi-camera array, developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer institute, allows directors to adjust the depth of field, the aperture, and even the camera angle of a given shot after it's been captured. The phrase 'fix it in post' now has a whole new dimension.

Read more...

Read More...

Summary only...

drag2share: Mozilla working on Chromecast-like mirroring for Firefox Android browser

source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/27/mozilla-tests-tab-mirroring-on-firefox/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi

Maybe this is Mozilla's retort to Google's Chromecast, maybe it isn't. Either way, the end result certainly looks similar. Details are scarce, but an enigmatic Google+ photo shared by insider Mark Finkle clearly reveals some sort of wireless tab mirroring between a Nexus 4 and a Roku box. We're going to hazard a guess that it's being orchestrated through the web, rather than merely being based on WiFi Direct or a similar device-to-device protocol. In the same manner as Chromecast or Apple's AirPlay, this could allow the Firefox-running smartphone to be used independently from what's shown in the display -- so, for example, it could work as a keyboard or a remote control at the same ti! me as fe eding content. Anyway, there's a limit to how much we can glean from a single pic (could that be a DVD-VHS combo player on the shelf?), so we've asked Mozilla for a bit more detail and will update this post if we hear back.

Update: Mozilla has confirmed that it is indeed at working on a second-screen solution for Firefox on a range of devices:

"We are conducting some experiments around second-screen support with a number of devices. But this is at investigation stage and we have nothing to announce at this time."

---
drag2share - drag and drop RSS news items on your email contacts to share (click SEE DEMO)

Read More...

Summary only...

Stanford's latest particle accelerator is smaller than a grain of rice (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/27/stanford-particle-accelerator-on-chip/

Particle accelerators range in size from massive to compact, but researchers from Stanford University and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have created one that's downright miniscule. What you see above is a specially patterned glass chip that's smaller than a grain of rice, but unlike a broken Coke bottle, it's capable of accelerating electrons at a rate that's roughly 10 times greater than the SLAC linear accelerator. Taken to its full potential, researchers envision the ability to match the accelerating power of the 2-mile long SLAC linear accelerator with a system that spans just 100 feet.

For a rough understanding of how this chip works, imagine electrons that are brought up to near-light speed and then concentrated into a tiny channel within the glass chip that measures just a half-micron tall. From there, infrared laser light interacts with patterned, nanoscale ridges within the channel to create an electrical field that boosts the energy of the electrons.

In the initial demonstration, researchers were able to create an energy increase of 300 million electronvolts per meter, but their ultimate goal is to more than triple that. Curiously enough, these numbers aren't even that crazy. For example, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin were able to accelerate electrons to 2 billion electronvolts over an inch with a technique known as laser-plasma acceleration, which involves firing a laser into a puff of gas. Even if Stanford's chip-based approach doesn't carry the same shock and awe, it seems the researchers are banking on its ability to scale over greater distances. Now if we can just talk them into strapping those lasers onto a few sharks, we'll really be in business.

Filed under: Science

Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Recycle Your Old microSD Cards Into an SSD Drive

Source: http://gizmodo.com/recycle-your-old-microsd-cards-into-an-ssd-drive-1404467902

Instead of giving your unwanted memory cards away to your parents, or putting them someplace safe where they'll inevitably get lost, this easy-to-build kit lets you turn a bunch of unused microSD cards into a far more useful SSD drive.

Read more...

Read More...

Summary only...